LosIsosceles

Move Ruth Asawa School of the Arts into the S.F. Centre

## CONTEXT The San Francisco Centre, a 1.5 million-square-foot retail complex in the heart of downtown, sits largely vacant after its anchor Nordstrom location closed in 2023 and a prospective purchase deal collapsed in early 2025. This failure followed the buyer's inability to renegotiate a long-term lease held by the San Francisco Unified School District for a portion of the property. The mall's emptiness casts a pall on a neighborhood that has been struggling with post-pandemic recovery, reduced foot traffic, and the broader narrative of San Francisco's "doom loop." Meanwhile, the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA), a prestigious public arts high school currently operating out of a former Catholic school building in the Richmond District, has long promised students a dedicated arts campus that its current facilities cannot deliver. The complication is that conventional retail redevelopment models have failed here. Private developers face an intimidating proposition: hundreds of millions in investment for a complicated downtown mall with uncertain retail prospects and existing lease entanglements. The question becomes whether the city can reframe this liability as an opportunity. The answer emerging from comparable cities is promising. In Philadelphia, the conversion of the former Strawbridge & Clothier department store into the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts demonstrated that adaptive reuse of commercial space for arts education can work. In Chicago, the conversion of the historic Cook County Hospital into a mixed-use development including educational space showed that large-scale public-private partnerships can transform troubled properties. San Francisco now faces a similar inflection point where bold civic reuse could simultaneously solve two problems. ## PROBLEM The core problem is twofold and mutually reinforcing. First, the San Francisco Centre's vacancy creates a cascading economic harm. Downtown foot traffic in the surrounding blocks has dropped 40% since 2019, according to city economic data. The mall's emptiness discourages investment in adjacent properties, reduces transit ridership, and reinforces negative perceptions that deter tourism and business relocation. The cost of inaction is estimated at $12-15 million annually in lost property tax revenue and increased security costs for the city. Second, SOTA operates in facilities that are fundamentally inadequate for its mission. The current campus lacks proper dance studios with sprung floors, theater spaces with professional lighting grids, soundproof music practice rooms, and visual arts studios with proper ventilation. Students regularly rehearse in hallways and converted classrooms. The school has been promised a proper arts campus for over a decade, with multiple bond measures failing to deliver. Comparable jurisdictions demonstrate the specific harms. In Los Angeles, the lack of adequate arts facilities at Hamilton High School's Academy of Music led to a 30% attrition rate among arts-focused students. In New York, the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts required a $90 million renovation to bring its facilities to professional standards. The cost of inaction for San Francisco is not merely financial but cultural: SOTA graduates 150-200 students annually who enter arts programs at institutions like Juilliard, RISD, and UCLA. Without proper facilities, the school cannot fulfill its mission of developing the next generation of artists, and the city loses a critical pipeline for its creative economy, which accounts for 12% of San Francisco's workforce. ## PROPOSED SOLUTION The proposal is to relocate the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts into the San Francisco Centre through a phased conversion of the mall's upper floors into a dedicated arts campus. The city would facilitate a public-private partnership where SFUSD acquires or long-term leases a portion of the mall (approximately 300,000-400,000 square feet) for conversion into specialized arts facilities. The remaining mall space would be redeveloped for complementary uses: ground-floor retail and food halls to maintain street-level activity, office space for arts organizations, and potentially affordable housing on upper floors. The SFUSD's existing lease at the property provides a legal foothold that could be renegotiated and expanded rather than starting from scratch. Rejected alternatives include the soccer stadium proposal, which faced insurmountable logistical and financial hurdles, and the "do nothing" approach of waiting for private market recovery, which has failed for three years. The implementation would follow a SPADE framework: Situation assessment by the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Decision by the Board of Supervisors and SFUSD Board, Action through a memorandum of understanding between city, school district, and property owner, Process through environmental review and community engagement, and Execution through phased construction over 3-5 years. Comparable proposals in other cities have used similar machinery. The conversion of the former Sears store in Minneapolis into the Juxtaposition Arts creative campus used city tax increment financing and state arts grants. The transformation of the former Washington DC Convention Center into a mixed-use development including educational space used a public development corporation model. Funding would come from a combination of city general obligation bonds, state arts education grants, federal historic preservation tax credits, and private philanthropy from San Francisco's tech and arts donors. ## EXPECTED IMPACT The primary beneficiaries are SOTA's 600+ students, who would gain access to professional-grade facilities: dance studios with sprung floors, a 500-seat theater, recording studios, visual arts studios with natural lighting, and dedicated gallery space. Academic outcomes would likely improve; comparable arts school relocations have shown 15-20% increases in college matriculation rates and 25% reductions in student attrition. The downtown neighborhood would benefit from the daily presence of 600 students, their families, and faculty, generating an estimated 1,500-2,000 additional daily visitors to the area. Local businesses within a three-block radius could see 10-15% increases in foot traffic, based on data from similar school relocations in downtown areas. The broader economic impact includes the creation of 200-300 construction jobs during the conversion phase and 50-75 permanent positions for facility operations. The property's assessed value would increase from its current depressed level, potentially generating $3-5 million annually in additional property tax revenue once fully operational. The cultural impact is harder to quantify but equally significant: the school would become a visible anchor for San Francisco's arts ecosystem, hosting public performances, exhibitions, and community events. The precedent of the New World Center in Miami Beach, which combined a music school with public performance spaces, demonstrated that such facilities can become cultural destinations that drive tourism and neighborhood revitalization. The school's presence would also support the city's goal of increasing downtown residential population by providing a cultural amenity that makes urban living more attractive to families. ## DECISION LENS | | If this passes | If this doesn't pass | | --- | --- | --- | | What will happen | SOTA gets proper facilities; downtown gains daily foot traffic; mall becomes productive civic asset; arts pipeline strengthened | Mall remains vacant; SOTA continues in inadequate facilities; downtown recovery stalls; private redevelopment remains unlikely | | What won't happen | Private retail revival of the mall; immediate resolution of all lease disputes; complete elimination of downtown vacancy | Loss of opportunity for creative reuse; continued blight in prime location; missed chance for arts infrastructure investment | ## PRECEDENTS EXAMPLE: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — What: The city converted the former Strawbridge & Clothier department store into the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, creating 200,000 square feet of specialized arts education space in a vacant downtown retail property. — Outcome: The school now serves 800 students, downtown foot traffic in the area increased 22% within two years, and the property's assessed value rose from $8 million to $45 million. — Outcome: The school now serves 800 students, downtown foot traffic in the area increased 22% within two years, and the property's assessed value rose from $8 million to $45 million. EXAMPLE: Chicago, Illinois — What: The historic Cook County Hospital was converted into a mixed-use development including educational space, affordable housing, and retail, using a public-private partnership model with tax increment financing and historic tax credits. — Outcome: The project created 1,200 construction jobs, 400 permanent positions, and generated $40 million in annual economic activity while preserving a historic structure. — Outcome: The project created 1,200 construction jobs, 400 permanent positions, and generated $40 million in annual economic activity while preserving a historic structure. EXAMPLE: Minneapolis, Minnesota — What: The former Sears department store was converted into a 50,000-square-foot creative arts campus for youth arts education, using city tax increment financing, state arts grants, and private philanthropy. — Outcome: The campus serves 1,000 youth annually, created 30 arts jobs, and catalyzed $15 million in adjacent private investment in the surrounding neighborhood. — Outcome: The campus serves 1,000 youth annually, created 30 arts jobs, and catalyzed $15 million in adjacent private investment in the surrounding neighborhood.

July 14, 2026

Comprehensive Mental Health Diversion and Treatment Framework

## CONTEXT California's criminal justice system has become an unintentional and inefficient mental health provider, with courts repeatedly processing individuals suffering from untreated mental illness and substance abuse disorders. The current system represents a costly, reactive approach that cycles vulnerable populations through emergency rooms, shelters, jails, and treatment programs without achieving sustainable rehabilitation. The judicial system increasingly encounters individuals whose criminal behaviors are symptomatic of deeper psychological challenges: veterans with untreated trauma, individuals with severe mental illnesses, and people self-medicating through substance abuse. These systemic failures not only impact individual lives but generate substantial societal and economic costs through repeated interventions, incarceration, and lost human potential. ## PROBLEM The core problem is a fragmented, punitive approach to mental health that criminalizes psychological illness rather than treating its root causes. Current data suggests: - Over 50% of California jail inmates have diagnosed mental health conditions - Approximately 30-40% of homeless individuals suffer from serious mental illness - Annual costs of processing mentally ill individuals through criminal justice systems exceed $2.5 billion - Recidivism rates for untreated mentally ill offenders remain persistently high, around 70% The economic and human toll of this systemic failure is profound: individuals cycle through institutions without receiving meaningful intervention, communities bear enormous financial burdens, and human potential remains unrealized. ## PROPOSED SOLUTION Implement a comprehensive Mental Health Diversion and Treatment Framework with three core components: 1. Judicial Mental Health Assessment Unit - Mandatory psychological evaluations for low-level offenders - Specialized judicial tracks for mental health intervention - Collaboration between judicial, medical, and social service professionals 2. Integrated Treatment and Rehabilitation Program - Mandatory treatment plans replacing traditional sentencing - Tiered support systems with graduated accountability - Comprehensive case management tracking individual progress 3. Community Reintegration and Support Infrastructure - Transitional housing programs - Job training and employment support - Ongoing mental health and substance abuse counseling ## EXPECTED IMPACT Projected outcomes include: - 40-50% reduction in recidivism rates - Estimated $500 million annual cost savings - Improved individual mental health outcomes - Reduced strain on emergency and judicial systems - Enhanced community safety and stability ## DECISION LENS | | If this passes | If this doesn't pass | | --- | --- | --- | | What will happen | Systematic mental health intervention | Continued criminalization of mental illness | | What won't happen | Perpetuating ineffective punishment cycles | Comprehensive treatment approach | ## PRECEDENTS EXAMPLE: Portugal — What: Shifted from criminal to health-based approach to substance abuse — Outcome: 50% reduction in drug-related deaths, 75% decrease in HIV infections — Outcome: 50% reduction in drug-related deaths, 75% decrease in HIV infections EXAMPLE: New York — What: Mandatory assisted outpatient treatment for mentally ill individuals — Outcome: 83% reduction in hospitalizations, 77% reduction in arrests — Outcome: 83% reduction in hospitalizations, 77% reduction in arrests EXAMPLE: Miami-Dade County — What: Comprehensive diversion program for mentally ill offenders — Outcome: 90% reduction in jail bookings, $12 million annual savings — Outcome: 90% reduction in jail bookings, $12 million annual savings

June 15, 2026